Tissues
by Fuzzy Blue Slippers
Summary: Saix is found unconscious in the lower levels of the Castle during a routine check. Turns out his fainting spells and alarming signs of weakness is due to the fact that he's caught a cold. That's all fine and dandy though, as the Superior has chosen himself as his personal nanny. What could possibly go wrong under his watchful eyes? /possible XemSai /lang and slight OOCness
1. Chapter 1

**A/n:** Yay for first stories on FF! You can't see me right now but I'm celebrating.

Ahem, anyway… Even though the "oh woe is me, I'm sick!" concept has been smacked, tossed up, thrown up and cooked on high heat till well done, I'm still gonna write it and have fun doing it. I have a bunch of other stories on the brain that won't (hopefully) be as cliché as this one, so fingers crossed!

…1…

He could hear voices talking over him in fast urgent whispers that left him frowning through the cloud of his consciousness, and feeling very irritable.

One he easily recognized as belonging to that loudmouth Axel, since he seemed to be trying his best to get out of whatever trouble he brought himself into, and the other, as cold as ice and not relenting obviously belonged to Vexen. Normally, he'd be all for watching his former friend come under fire (excuse the pun) for his pranks and follies, but couldn't the two take their conversation far, far away…? Preferably out of his room…?

_And who gave them permission to come in here anyway?_

"Get, out."

He couldn't even wince at the way his voice sounded foggy and decidedly not his own, but he got the desired effect, that being an abrupt silence. He waited next for the awkward shuffling of feet, and maybe some apologies/groveling for disturbing his sleep, but when nothing came, he opted for the evil eye.

Except he couldn't even crack one open and struggled to get anywhere beyond a few meager twitches.

"Oh hey! He's awake!"

Axel's sudden shout pounded his sensitive ears a whole lot more than they normally did, and he groaned an uncharacteristic 'fuck you' while flopping his heavy head to the side.

Doing so only created a faint buzz at the forefront of his skull, and he blushed lightly as a soft moan filtered past his lips. He felt hot and uncomfortable. Helpless and uneasy as though someone had done a number on him. His nose was unbearably stuffy and his throat sore as he tried to breathe deeply to calm his nerves.

He was _not_ happy.

A cold hand was placed on top of his sore brow. Against his better judgment, he pushed up against it, wanting to lessen the heat coursing dangerously through his body. This prompted giggles and snorts from Axel.

"Is the puppy alright?" The inquiry could have been sincere if he wasn't chuckling. And the cutesy nickname had to go.

"He'll be fine," Vexen snapped, "No thanks to you."

"Wha- _me_? Excuse me, but I was the one who _found_ the prick! I deserve a medal for not kicking him in the head and leaving him there!"

"Just be quiet. You're upsetting him…"

"And?!"

IV decided to ignore that. His hand emitted more coolness to lessen the sweating and feverish shaking, prompting more nuzzling on Saïx's part. "What a disaster," he sighed, his other hand resting along the side of his face to turn it this way and that as if checking for damages. "The Superior is going to _freak._"

As if on cue, the door to the room banged open.

"WHERE IS HE?"

The thunderous roar of Xemnas' voice and the thoughtless misuse of the door as it pounded against the wall and slammed shut echoed endlessly about Saïx's confused mind. He feebly tried angling his head to peer at his Superior, to tell him in no kind terms to shut the hell up and go away. He wanted them all gone, except for Vexen. Vexen was fine. Vexen felt good. Vexen was the only one who didn't make it his own personal mission to create as much noise as he could.

"He's right here…" A hint of nervousness entered Vexen's normally stoic voice as their master paced the length of the room quickly. Not a second later his hands disappeared as Saïx could only surmise that he was shoved out of the way. It helped that he stumbled loudly into Axel, who made a sound of disgust.

Xemnas placed his own hand right where Vexen had his, and even though he was nowhere as being as cool as IV, his glove presented a pleasant little treat. "Is he alive?"

"Yes, Superior…"

"Well then is he awake?"

"Yes, sir."

Hot breath ghosted over his scrunched face. Saïx expected to be talked to like a child, quietly and coaxing, because surely the man wouldn't want to cause any more pain to his best subordinate.

"Can. You. Hear. Me. Se-ven?"

"Superior he's not deaf!" Vexen stammered as Axel instantly broke down into raucous laughter that everyone in the entire Castle could probably hear.

Hell, even the Shadows wandering aimlessly in the streets could hear him.

"Oh." He didn't sound too apologetic. Though judging by the way VIII abruptly shut up, he had given him a glare. "Then why aren't his eyes open?"

"It's the drugs, sir. He's tired."

"I see."

Saïx could feel him lean over him again, and he mentally prepared himself for another round of strange behavior. Instead, Xemnas merely kept shifting closer as though he were in dire need of glasses. The Luna Diviner could feel strands of the other's silver hair ghosting over his cheeks in a light tickle.

Just what on _earth_ was he looking for?

"What's this bruise?"

His forehead was then promptly prodded, right in the middle of his scar. Against his wishes, VII let off a gasp, and his fingers twitched, wanting nothing more than to reach up and shove the other man away.

"I don't know," Vexen answered gravely, "I was trying to get that answer out of VIII myself before you showed up."

As Xemnas growled at the news, Saïx knew he wouldn't be getting any peace and quiet anytime soon. Besides, it'd be really nice if he knew just what the _hell was going on_.

"Hey, boss, don't look at me!" Because he knew the man so well, VII could easily imagine Axel putting his hands up in surrender, his eyes rolling at being blamed for everything. "I found him like that, I swear."

"Found him where?"

"Oh, in the basement." He slyly chuckled. "Face down, surrounded by his own Nobodies. I think-"

"Whatever perverted thing you're about to say, save it," Vexen interrupted. "This is serious."

"C'mon, Vex, I was being serious! All I was gonna say was he more than likely tripped over one of them, knocked himself out on the floor and they didn't know what to do. Sheesh…"

The other three knew he was lying through his teeth.

Once he could sit up, Saïx already knew what he was going to do first, and that was taking the fire wielder's own chakrams and slitting his throat with them.

"In any case, let's just be grateful he's still alive. Thanks to yours truly."

"Stop bowing and get out of my sight," the Superior snapped irritably, prompting a hasty 'yes sir' and Axel high tailing it out of there, though he couldn't contain his snorts before the door sealed behind him.

Once the coast was clear, Xemnas sighed. "Remind me again why we keep him around?"

"Organization XIII sounds a whole lot better than Organization XII," Vexen supplied helpfully.

"Oh, right… we could always replace him."

"Superior," the blonde giggled, almost flirtatiously.

Saïx wished he could gag, mostly so that they could remember that he was still there.

And not _happy_.

"Do you think he had anything to do with this?" Thankfully their boss recovered from joking and returned attention back to his second in command. His warm forehead was again placated with cool leather.

"Unless VIII has some new power we don't know about that causes illnesses, I don't think so. For the first time, I think he was just an innocent bystander…"

"Illness? You mean he's… _sick_?" By the way their master muttered the word, it sounded like taboo. And it was, in a sense. Nobodies did _not_ get sick. Sick of each other, sure, but _physically_ sick? It was laughable! A Nobody as strong willed and powerful such as Saïx did not get _sick_. Impossible.

"Er, yes. It's… interesting, for lack of a better word. I don't believe it's fatal. Just a normal case of… the common cold."

"You're kidding."

"No, sir. He shows all the symptoms. They just look a lot worse on him since our immune systems aren't designed to handle viruses, on account that we're never supposed to catch them."

"How'd he get… sick?"

"Could have been anything. Something he ate. Coming in contact with infected Somebodies. Streaking in the rain."

"Have you checked his temperature yet?"

"No, I was too busy dealing with Axel to do much else but administer medicine- Superior, maybe I should do that."

Saïx could only guess that Vexen was, once again, shoved away as Xemnas leaned bodily over him to reach for whatever was on his opposite side. He could safely conclude that he wasn't in his room as he initially thought, not when Xemnas grasped his jaw tightly and forced him to open up to stick a thermometer in his mouth.

Which proved to be a bad idea as he ended up almost hacking a lung and spitting in his lord and master's face.

"Shit!" Xemnas cursed, and because Vexen didn't respond right away, it could safely be assumed that he was surprised that his Superior had used vulgarity. "He just infected me, didn't he?" He sounded grave, as though he was ready to give in to his fate.

"Um, you should be fine, sir, if you take this right away. His cold seemed to have been inside him for a while now, slowly building and taking effect, so it's nothing to worry about."

They lapsed into silence then, a somewhat strained one as they waited for the thermometer to finish its assessment. Saïx wished he could speak so he could pry details of his predicament from anyone who knew, but his coughing had proved his downfall and now more than ever his throat felt useless. In the back of his mind, he could only hope that the instrument in his mouth was sanitized… no need to bring his… _cold_, up to _pneumonia_.

Then he'd surely die.

Again.

Finally it beeped and was cautiously removed by Vexen, who let out a fake and pleased gasp. "Oh it's not so bad!"

A vague sense of foreboding crept along the back of Saïx's neck in response to the really eerie way Vexen had cheered. It bordered on sarcasm, not true relief.

"What is it?" Xemnas asked suspiciously.

"Lucky one-oh-seven."

"Oh, Saïx… whatever shall I do without you?"

He frowned deeply at that. Well, naturally Xemnas would get someone else to do his dirty work. Or was Saïx too good a minion to be replaced?

The thought made him feel (marginally) better.

"You don't have to be so overdramatic…"

"But he's dying."

Saïx squirmed at the devastating proclamation. He honestly couldn't tell who was joking, or who was being completely serious.

"Not if we intervene." With that, Vexen could be heard pacing the room, going from area to area, and judging by the clinking of glass, gathering whatever would be needed to begin the healing process. "Treating his cold will be the same as treating it for anybody. Plenty of bed rest, fluid, and a good dose of laughter."

"Have you actually heard VII laugh?"

The footsteps abruptly stopped. "Well… no, but if he wants to get better, then he's gonna have to grin and bear it. Right now it'd be best if he gathered his strength and used it to get up and tell us how he's feeling."

Xemnas sighed as the scientist continued gathering this and that and yapping about the details of how it was all going to work, and for about the hundredth time, started invading the bedridden Nobody' personal space again. It made Saïx a little uncomfortable, seeing as he couldn't see what exactly the other was doing. He hoped he was just examining the bruise on his forehead and not getting any funny ideas. The heat from his face paused nearly up against his own, where his master's voice purred directly into his ear.

"Poor VII. If only you weren't so weak."

WEAK?

Vexen seemed to be on the other side, sounding rather alarmed and scandalized by what he just heard. "Sir you shouldn't antagonize-"

"You'll be the laughing stock of the entire Castle once everyone finds out," he continued with purpose, chuckling darkly as he concluded, "which shouldn't be long now, thanks to Axel."

_Axel._

That _worm_!

It was probably his fault in the first place that he felt like this!

His aching eyes snapped open, much to Vexen's surprise and Xemnas' triumph.

"Where is he?" he croaked, flitting his narrowed eyes between their faces, "So I may disembowel him."

"Disemboweling someone is so cliché. In your case simply breathing on someone can be deadly."

Feebly he clenched his hands in the sheets in an effort to sit himself up. Vexen was quick to catch his shoulders but he glared and snapped his teeth to wordlessly let him know that he didn't need anyone's help whatsoever. He wasn't an invalid!

"VII, please, lie back down. It's for your own good."

"Destroying Axel is for my own good. _Off_," he barked, the strength of the command enough to make the scientist jump a foot back and hold his hands up in surrender.

Saïx ignored the way he worriedly looked on as he huffed and panted and just looked plain pitiful in his attempt at restoring dignity. Xemnas just stared at him, his lips puckered in contemplation. As much as he wanted to shrug it off, it worried the Diviner a bit. When Xemnas was thinking, it usually meant tragedy and agony for the poor parties involved, and he had an inkling he'd be the one suffering from his next grandiose idea. It was without question that he'd want his best minion up and running in no time, but at what cost…? He was afraid to know.

Then much to his horror the Superior took a step forward and prepared to speak.

"I know what to do-"

"I'll be fine before the morning, sir," Saïx brassily interrupted, but as he said it his head bowed swiftly in exhaustion and his entire body shuddered with shallow gasps. Well, damn. Since when did _breathing_ become such a chore?

"Yes, as I was saying," Xemnas deadpanned, enticing a nervous twitter of laughter from Vexen, who cautiously stepped back forward to aid his patient; this time, Saïx could do nothing else but allow the man to push him back to the suddenly comfortable bed. He'd get mad later… "The best thing to do, is to assign you a nanny."

Vexen's face contorted in a humble effort to keep from making any noise of amusement, mostly caused by the way Saïx stared wordlessly up at the Superior with a blatant look of disbelief and distrust. It went without saying that he was probably the only creature in the entire universe able to give the ruthless leader such a gaze and come out of it unscathed and alive. The older male just smiled- a lopsided smirk, really.

"A… _nanny_?"

Xemnas inclined his head, "Yes."

Saïx sighed extra loudly (and ended up hurting his throat in the process). "I knew it," he mumbled and closed his eyes, wishing with all his might for the day to be over. Or better yet, never to have occurred at all. Who knew that taking a little trip into the dungeons would result in such disaster?

"That you'll be getting a nanny?" Vexen snickered as he swept around the bed and tucked him in, already proving that he'd be a good candidate for the job.

Well there went his good 'feeling' thoughts towards the blond for that little quip. He could go jump in traffic for all he cared. "No, that I'm dreaming."

"You have very weird dreams."

"Shut it, IV!" he snapped. "I don't need your comments!"

Xemnas might've chuckled at that, but he wasn't so certain. Truth be told, it was about high time the both of them left him alone so he could grouse in peace. Their constant badgering fanned the flames of his ire, making it near impossible to focus on anything but being angry at the entire universe. He wasn't entirely certain if he were capable of it at the moment, but he really, _really_ wasn't looking forward to entering his Berserk stage and possibly killing himself in the process.

It just wasn't worth it.

As though reading his thoughts, Xemnas cleared his throat. "I understand that you're cranky."

"Hmph."

"-so we shall leave you to your rest. Come, IV."

Vexen clearly hesitated on leaving his patient alone, but his protesting stalled straight away, probably courtesy of their master's patented 'Disobey Me and You Die®' stare. "Oh, alright. Saïx, I'm locking the doors so you won't be disturbed. If you need anything, just tell my assistant and I'll come straightaway."

"Assistant?" he muttered, cracking his eyes open.

Unnervingly, mostly in the way that he hadn't felt its presence, he focused on the thin, wispy creature floating with calm grace at his bedside, sitting with perfect posture on warped air and nose buried deep within a book labeled with strange runes. It had no eyes, but seemed entranced with what it was reading, and every so often it'd finger its chin thoughtfully and nod. The Nobody emblem was imprinted on its chest.

"His name's Malcolm."

"_Malcolm_?"

"Be nice to him, will you?" Vexen asked sweetly, and left.

Saïx groaned and covered his face with an arm. He shouldn't have been surprised that Vexen would go ahead and name his Nobody lessers. Besides Demyx, he was the only one in the Castle to treat them with care and kindness, and they in turn readily came to his aid when he needed it. Though obviously useful, Saïx couldn't see himself bending over backwards for them or _naming_ them. That was just out of the question.

He grunted and rolled over onto his side, away from the (thankfully) quiet Nobody. Dutifully, Malcolm reached over and readjusted the sheet, as naturally as a normal human being.

It made Saïx sick to his stomach.

"Damn humanitarians…"

…1…

**A/n:** And there be chapter one. Tell me what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/n:** I'm so, so, so, so sorry to anyone who was waiting for a continuation! I was a little discouraged to only get one review (and I thank you with all my heart RazzBurry!), but after a little butt-kicking I decided to square my shoulders and keep going.

This one is a whole lot shorter than the first chapter, and features a teeny tiny bit of Vexen-Marluxia "bonding" because I like bickering relationships annnnnnd… just because. We'll be back on track next go around!

…2…

Vexen wasn't so sure if he should've been happy that they had a botanist or not.

On one hand, it was very useful when he needed abstracts and herbs or something colorful to admire other than the less than exciting white and gray tiled walls. There was something eerily human about their little botanical garden hoisted up in the sky, something so serene and lifelike that as the moon cast its glow upon it the line between reality and fantasy blurred. It was not unlike a child's playground. There was always something to look at or touch. It smelled nice and the atmosphere had a certain buzz to it that didn't exist anywhere else in the Castle.

But on the other hand, the botanist himself honestly creeped him out a little, and not because of his interesting choice in hair dye.

One look at Marluxia was enough to cause anyone to raise their eyebrow and maybe laugh a little, but that would be the last time they did such a thing. He was a master of subtlety, sure, but one wrong look, and your face would be rearranged upside down, sometimes quite literally. Vexen had seen that one too many times. It was off putting. He never wanted to be in the same room as the man, but on certain, special occasions like this one, he had to take the plunge. For Xemnas. For Saïx. For all their sanity because if VII did not get well, heads would definitely roll. And his would be the first in line.

"You seem distracted."

Vexen startled at the sound of Marluxia's voice, a deceivingly soothing purr aimed directly into his ear. When he spun around to look at him through mossy green foliage, he was mildly amazed to find him standing all the way on the other side of the room, his back against the wall and eyes focused on some grapevines. That was another thing Vexen didn't like about him; the whole voice carrying was a major turn off.

"I was thinking."

The other's blue eyes lifted to meet his. Piercing and calculated as always, nothing Vexen couldn't handle. "Thinking? I've seen your thinking face. And that wasn't it."

"Look, I'm not here to talk about face tics."

Marluxia raised an eyebrow.

"I mean," Vexen spluttered, waving an arm about, "y-you know what I mean! I'm just here to ask a favor."

"Favors come at a price," the Assassin interrupted with a smirk. He pushed away from the wall, much to Vexen's unease, and started walking towards him. The soft dirt under their boots muffled his approach, and even though the Alchemist had an eye on him the whole time, he couldn't help the shiver that raced up his spine when the other stopped in front of him, those cool blue eyes shielded as they leisurely looked him over.

Still, Vexen felt he was ready for whatever stupid terms he had to follow. It wasn't the first time he had to polish his scythe or fetch him something pricy from a faraway world. It was always a small price to pay in the advancement of science, and in this case for the greater good of the Organization as a whole.

"Well?" he snapped when the other merely continued to stare without saying anything. "I'm in a bit of a hurry-"

"I'm not," came the smug reply, "I've got all day. Let me think on it and I'll send-"

"No, let _me_ think on it." Having had enough of the childish games, Vexen stepped inside the neophyte's personal space to be intimidating, prompting a particularly high raised eyebrow in amusement. "This is for the Superior, not for me. If he finds out you've been giving me difficulties, I doubt he'll be thinking long on your punishment."

The Assassin lowered his eyes in a somewhat sheepish gesture, but Vexen knew better than to fall for it.

"Oh, my apologies, then. What do you need?"

"Jasmine, lavender, whatever I can use to make a calming draught. And a lot of it," he added under his breath as Marluxia turned on his heel to carry out the task. Just recalling the episode he suffered through that evening made his skin crawl; it seriously took all of his restraint to hold back on drugging Saïx so that he'd sleep for a good month. Who could blame him? It was infuriating! All he was trying to do was his job, and how did the Diviner reward his efforts? By nearly biting his fingers off like some rabid _animal_! He wasn't the one he should've been mad at, it wasn't his fault that he wasn't strong enough to defeat something as _stupid_ as the common cold! And now because of him, he had to go to _Marluxia_ for assistance. Where was the silver lining in any of it? What was in it for _him_?

The master of all headaches?!

"Vexen."

The simple statement of his name kicked him back into the present, and he blinked in surprise upon seeing Marluxia back in front of him, a woven basket filled with a dizzying amount of colors and fragrance held out in front of him; if rainbows had a smell, it'd smell like this, catastrophic and yet somehow pleasing. It tickled his nose like a freight train, and he scrambled to mutter a 'thanks' while holding back a sneeze, his hand open expectantly between them.

Instead of simply handing them over, Marluxia smiled that little smile, nonverbally telling Vexen he better hold on to his cloak.

"Like I said before, I don't do favors for free."

_Oh here we go again…_

"Right, so what do you want?" he grumbled, tapping his foot impatiently in the soil. Muffled, it didn't have a lot of authority in it.

"I'm still not sure yet."

The blonde rolled his eyes dramatically and he forcibly snatched the basket from the other's hands. "Well when you do think of something, you know where I'll be."

He meant to leave it at that and leave the garden and its annoying caretaker, but Marluxia stopped him from so much as twitching his leg with a hand wrapped about his bicep, his handsome face suddenly much too close for comfort. There wasn't any emotion there, as usual, and the way he stared with unnerving perception into the Alchemist's wide green eyes knocked the breath out of him.

Quite suddenly, he wished he were on the receiving end of Saïx's bared teeth.

"Before you go," the Assassin started, tilting his head almost coquettishly to the side, "tell me, what does Xemnas need this for?"

His jaw worked soundlessly a few times before he could remind himself that talking required the use of his tongue as well. "It- it's really none of your business, but, since you'll hear about it anyway… it's really for Saïx. He's sick and exceedingly grumpy, and… and don't laugh, XI," he snapped as Marluxia broke composure and chuckled, the grip on his arm slacking as he stopped looked intimidating and more like an impish child. "This really isn't funny."

The neophyte barely made an attempt to cover up his snickers, though it probably had more to do with Vexen's uncharacteristic pout than Saïx's predicament. He took a step back from the seething scientist, his blue eyes, for once, crinkled into a real smile. It almost gave Vexen pause.

Almost.

"I'm not laughing at him," Marluxia assured, folding his arms in front of his chest casually. "You know how some people laugh when they get nervous; I'm one of them."

"The hell you are," Vexen mumbled, earning a dismissive wave of the hand. "Why would you be nervous?"

A serious expression reappeared on the other male's face, quite similar to when he stared Vexen down. "If Saïx can get sick, what about the rest of us?" he reasoned. "I know we don't take things like that well. He could be contagious." As if realizing what he just said, he frowned and glanced down at his gloved hands before looking to the blonde. "You've been near him," he accused, narrowing his eyes angrily, "get out."

"Er, what-?"

"I said, out."

Not needing to be told again, Vexen scoffed and strutted towards the exit, twice as annoyed than when he entered. He knew exactly what Marluxia had inferred, and if he had real feelings, he'd be extremely hurt by the disgust in his eyes and the tone in his voice. But since they were just his figment of imagination and all that good stuff, he brushed the comment aside and made his way back to the labs. He had a lot of work to do and not much time to do it. He hadn't heard so much as a peep from Malcolm, so he assumed his charge was sleeping, but once he woke back up, there was no doubt that he'd try going on a hunting spree, all thanks to Xemnas' mind games…

And he had to wonder, really wonder if the man knew what he was doing. It wouldn't be easy taking care of a volatile character like the Lunar Diviner, and though the two had mutual respect for one another, it wouldn't exactly take much to light the fuse under some tempers. But even if he could get a word of protest in, their Superior would never budge. Saïx was his best, his favorite, his pet. He would do close to anything to make sure that he was up and running in no time.

Idly, Vexen wondered if he'd even spoon feed him some soup…

…2…


End file.
